Roast Rack of Goat Recipe with Green Cakes and Beans

Here’s a great Summer dish dedicated to goats and what they eat: a roast rack of goat recipe served with wild greens and tender white beans. As an animal that browses rather than grazes, goats will even eat the tender foliage of young trees, like deer.

A cooked rack of goat on a platter next to white beans and green cakes.
Cakes made from wild greens are a great accompaniment to a whole rack of goat

So what could be more fitting than a delicious, grass-fed rack of goat with the foraged greens they love to eat? You can use a wide variety of greens, but some of the best ones in summer can come right from your yard: dandelions, lamb’s quarter, amaranth, and galinsoga are all widely available, and excellent prepared like this. But two of Chef’s favorites, and what he prefers for the dish, are lambsquarters and amaranth.

Alan Bergo
Chef Alan Bergo

The greens are blanched, chopped, mixed with a few simple ingredients and made into hand-formed cakes, then browned in the fat leftover from cooking the goat rib rack. When browned, the green centers of the cakes steam, developing a crisp outside, and a soft, tender inside. We think the goats will approve.

This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com. 

Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.

Cooked Grass-fed rack of goat with white beans and foraged green fritters on a platter.
A half rack of goat with wild green fritters and white beans.

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Grass-fed rack of goat with white beans and foraged green fritters
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5 from 1 vote

Roast Rack of Goat Recipe with Green Cakes and Beans

Delicious pan roasted rack of goat with wild green fritters and white beans.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Foraged Greens, Goat, White Beans
Servings: 2 People
Calories: 59kcal
Cost: 20

Equipment

  • Large cast iron skillet or saute pan
  • 1 Medium mixing bowl

Ingredients

Meat

  • 1 ea Rack of goat serves 2
  • Fresh cut chives
  • Lemon wedges for serving, optional

Foraged Green Fritters

  • 6 oz foraged greens such as lambsquarters, or amaranth (spinach can be substituted)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • A few scrapes of nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon flour or equivalent
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 large egg plus one yolk
  • Reserved goat tallow as needed for cooking

White Beans with Sage

  • 75 cups cooked white cannellini beans 1 15oz can
  • 1 large clove of garlic sliced thin
  • 3-4 large leaves of sage sliced ¼ inch
  • 1 tablespoon reserved goat tallow
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

Goat Rack

  • For the goat, cut a cross-hatch pattern in the fat cap to help the fat render and release while cooking. You will use the goat fat to cook the beans and green fritters. Liberally season the goat rack with salt and pepper and allow to rest for a few hours uncovered, in the fridge to dry out (optional).
  • Heat a heavy pan, like cast iron, until hot, then brown the goat rack well, slowly rendering the fat out until the fat cap is crisp on medium-medium high heat. Quickly flip over the goat rack to cook the other sides, then remove from the heat when medium rare, about 135F.
  • Remove the goat rack to a warm place while you cook the beans and fritters, and drain off the fat, reserving 1 tablespoon for the beans, and the rest for cooking the fritters.
  • To serve, plate the cakes and beans on a platter, with the goat rack in the middle, garnishing with fresh chives and lemon wedges.

Foraged Green Fritters

  • Have a basin of cold water ready, and bring a pot of salted water to a boil for 30-60 seconds, stirring well to help clean the greens in the process.
  • Remove the greens to the cold water, swishing them to cool and act as a double rinse. Remove the greens, chop finely, and mix with the remaining fritter ingredients.
  • Allow the fritter mix to rest for a few hours (optional)
  • Make cakes of about 2-3 tablespoonas each, about 1/2 an inch thick, and fry until well browned on each side in the goat tallow left over from cooking the rack.

White Beans with Sage

  • For the beans, add the garlic to 1 tablespoon of tallow, cook until lightly browned, but not burnt, then add the sage, cook for a minute more, add the beans, season to taste, mix, keep warm and reserve.

Notes

Rack of lamb can be prepared the same way as the goat. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4chops | Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 38mg | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 229IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Grass-fed rack of goat with white beans and foraged green fritters
Finished rack of goat with white beans and green cakes.